Oswego County TodayUS Senator Kirsten GillibrandFREE Independent News for Oswego County

Gillibrand Announces Legislation To Provide Free Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner To Schoolchildren

May 11, 2023 Contributor

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, held a video press conference to announce the introduction of the Universal School Meals Program Act. The bill would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all schoolchildren regardless of income, expand access to free meals over the summer, and eliminate school meal debt.

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Senator Gillibrand Joins President Biden In Westchester To Call For Passage Of Clean Bill To Avoid Catastrophic Default

May 11, 2023 Contributor

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined President Biden at SUNY Westchester Community College to call on House Republicans to join Democrats to pass a clean bill to avoid a catastrophic default. A clip from her speech can be found below.

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Gillibrand, Marshall, Feinstein, Ernst Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Create 9/11 Commission-Style COVID-19 Task Force

May 10, 2023 Contributor

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the bipartisan National Task Force on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act, legislation that would create a 9/11 Commission-style task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force would investigate the origins of the pandemic, the U.S. response, availability of medical supplies and other resources, public health messaging, the government’s role in the development and distribution of vaccines, and more. The task force would have the authority to hold hearings, take testimony and issues subpoenas, and would be comprised of 10 members, 5 appointed from each party. The task force would submit an interim report to Congress and the president within one year, and a final report within 20 months of its initial meeting.

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Gillibrand Demands IRS Address Backlog, Issue Overdue Tax Refunds To Small Businesses

May 5, 2023 Contributor

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference to demand that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) address its backlog and issue overdue Employee Retention Credit (ERC) refunds to small businesses and nonprofits that have filed for them. The ERC was established in 2020 to provide tax relief to businesses that retained their employees during the pandemic. The IRS currently has as many as 1 millionunprocessed ERC claims, meaning that many struggling small New York businesses have yet to receive the money they are owed.

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Gillibrand Pushes For Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill To Enhance Banking Access For Legal Cannabis Businesses

May 4, 2023 Contributor

This week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for the bipartisan, bicameral Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act to ensure that legal cannabis businesses have access to critical banking and financial services. Most state legal medicinal or recreational cannabis businesses are denied access to traditional and secure banking systems and financial services because banks fear they may be prosecuted under federal law given the ongoing federal restrictions on cannabis.

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Gillibrand Presses DOD To Investigate Rotary-Wing Aircraft Accidents; Push Comes In Wake Of Helicopter Crashes

May 2, 2023 Contributor

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin requesting a review of all rotary-wing aviation accidents that resulted in a loss of life and/or the loss of aircraft. The letter noted recent helicopter accidents in Alaska and Kentucky that resulted in the deaths of multiple soldiers, as well as the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter in 2021 that resulted in the deaths of three officers from the New York Army National Guard.

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Senator Gillibrand Pushes To Provide Accessible, Affordable Housing For Older Americans And People Living With Disabilities

April 30, 2023 Contributor

This week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, is pushing for a bill to address the housing affordability and accessibility crisis in the United States. The Visitable Inclusive Tax Credits for Accessible Living (VITAL) Act would increase investment in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and ensure that developers are building more accessible housing units that are designed for older adults and people with disabilities. The bill would also help ensure that new units are located within communities where residents can walk or move around easily in wheelchairs. This bill is led by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

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Kristen’s New York Minute!

April 29, 2023 Contributor

Following is a weekly newsletter from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand:

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Gillibrand Announces Legislation To Accelerate FDA Approval Of Drugs To Treat Life-Threatening Illnesses

April 26, 2023 Contributor

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference to announce her bipartisan legislation to expedite provisional FDA approval of drugs intended to treat ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other life-threatening diseases. The standard FDA approval process takes many years to get drugs to market, but patients with rapidly progressing illnesses often don’t have many years to wait. Gillibrand’s Promising Pathway Act would accelerate the FDA’s approval process and help get promising treatments to those who need them.

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Gillibrand, Rounds Lead Group Of 41 Bipartisan Senators In Call To Fully Fund U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation Programs

April 22, 2023 Contributor

This week, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) led a bipartisan group of 41 senators in calling for $500 million to fully fund U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs in the Defense Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024. Israel’s missile defense system is made up of four operational layers: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2 and now Arrow 3. In addition to contributing to ballistic missile defense, these systems play an important role in countering hostile unmanned aerial systems.

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